Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is unsure whether he would accept a presidential pardon if one were offered, calling his ongoing corruption trial a “politicized and unjust witch hunt” during an interview with conservative podcast host Erin Molan.

His comments came just hours after President Donald Trump sent an official letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging him to “fully pardon” Netanyahu—a move that immediately injected U.S. politics into Israel’s most divisive legal saga.

“I’ll think about it,” Netanyahu said when asked whether he would accept a pardon. “I’ve spent three days a week running a war and trying to expand peace, while also in court talking about why my son received a Bugs Bunny doll when he was five. That’s a bribe? Or why I got some cigars from a friend? It’s ridiculous.”

Calling the trial “embarrassing to the prosecution,” Netanyahu praised Trump for siding with him, saying the U.S. president was “the best thing to happen to Israel since maybe Cyrus.”

Trump’s letter to Herzog—sent Wednesday and bearing his signature—called on Israel’s president to wipe away Netanyahu’s legal troubles, framing the prime minister as a critical partner in Trump’s renewed push to expand the Abraham Accords.

The letter described Netanyahu as “a formidable wartime leader” and argued his prosecution “hurts both American and Israeli interests.” The request immediately sparked questions about political interference and the precedent of a foreign leader calling for a legal intervention in another democracy.

In the wide-ranging interview, Netanyahu also swatted away threats by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to arrest him if he visits the city.

“I’m not afraid,” Netanyahu said. “It’s good to be a young leader, but it’s not good to be a young, uneducated leader.”

He also voiced skepticism about Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s planned Washington visit, warning that diplomacy cannot paper over the reality on the ground.

“Does Syria become a peaceful country? Does he weed out the jihadists in his military?” Netanyahu asked. “You can’t build peace on falsehoods.”

The prime minister saved some of his most scathing language for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing him of paying terrorists and glorifying killers.

“To embrace him as a prince of peace is the opposite of reality,” he said. “The force for peace is Israel—not the Palestinian Authority, which funds terrorism.”

Netanyahu told Molan that Israel stands ready to help the people of Iran, even as it continues to strike the regime’s military capabilities.

“The regime puts billions into Hezbollah, Hamas, and Assad—but nothing into fixing the water crisis or improving the economy,” he said. “The Iranian people deserve better.”

He claimed Israel’s July strikes set Iran back on its nuclear and missile programs. “They’ll try to recover, but we’re following it closely, alongside our American friends.”

The interview also served as an unmistakable campaign message. “I’ll run if the people want me to,” Netanyahu said. “We’ve achieved a lot—defeating Hamas, dismantling the Iranian Axis, releasing hostages. If the people give me the mandate, I’ll continue.”

He outlined his post-war plan for Gaza.  “Israel will retain control of Gaza’s security,” he said. “We won’t relinquish our security to anyone else. Gaza will be demilitarized, and Israel will maintain full security responsibility. We won’t farm it out.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)